Hyogo, Japan – Not only has Panasonic Group’s consumer electronics recycling plant, Panasonic Eco Technology Center Co., Ltd. (PETEC) made efforts over the years to reduce the energy consumed, it has also implemented solutions to create energy and to procure electricity created by renewable energy. Due to these efforts, it now runs on 100% renewable electricity, but it is taking its efforts a step further to become a zero CO2 emission factory by substituting fossil fuels, etc.

In accordance to the “Environment Vision 2050” publicized in June 2017, Panasonic has undertaken various efforts to establish zero CO2 emission factories. Specifically, it has, for example adopted LED lighting and FEMS (Factory Energy Management System) technology to save energy, implemented solar power generation systems to create energy, and procured electricity created by renewable energy.

To become a pilot factory that will serve as a guiding star for zero CO2 emission factories to follow, PETEC has become the first factory to run 100% on renewable electricity.

Saving Energy

In September 2018, PETEC changed all of the lighting within the factory to LEDs. By doing so, it has reduced the factory’s CO2 emissions by approximately 2%.

Creating energy

Currently, the factory is equipped with 50kW of HIT(TM) solar panels, which has shaved approximately 1% off the factory’s CO2 emissions.

Procuring electricity created by renewable energy

To procure energy necessary after efforts described in above 1 and 2, from April 2018 PETEC began utilizing Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.’s “Hydraulic Eco Plan,” which uses zero CO2 emission hydraulic power. In addition, through Panasonic’s procurement division, the Global Procurement Company, PETEC purchased an effective non-fossil certification from the non-fossil value market in April 2018, which makes its factory virtually 100% powered by renewable energy.

Furthermore, in February 2019, PETEC will install 244kW of HIT(TM) solar panels, and 330kW more in December of the same year, bringing the total capacity to 624kW. This, as a result, will help reduce not approximately 1%, but 15% CO2 emissions.

Moreover, PETEC will promote various initiatives, which also involve development of proprietary technologies. These include efforts to save energy by utilizing advanced energy management systems, by further adopting renewable energy such as geothermal heat, and technologies that can absorb, separate, and utilize the CO2 emitted by fossil fuels. And by optimally combining these solutions, PETEC will aspire to become a factory with even superior energy efficiency and zero CO2 emissions.

Panasonic will apply these measures implemented by this pilot factory to factories in Japan and across the world to accelerate its efforts to realize the zero CO2 emission factory goal declared in its Environment Vision 2050.